Re: Date is Incomplete - database application software and database theory

> Firstly, I think you should acknowledge the fact that any
> model of reality/data is always necessarily incomplete. Or
> do you subscribe to the philosophy that the RM is a holy
> relic?

This is precisely the point. Of course it is incomplete, it is an active body of research. What it is not is limited. If you claim it is limited you must show in what way it is limited. You must provide some example of data which cannot be modeled using relations. The point is that the relational model is not a model in the usual sense of the word. It is not a mock-up that necessarily lacks the detail of the actual subject being modeled. It is a theoretical abstraction for modeling *all* data.

So I must ask again, what example can you provide which shows that the relational model is limited.

At the very least, if you really want to find a 'theory of applications' you should read What Not How. It is a simple read, and describes in detail how the relational model can be applied to application development. Received on Sun May 16 2004 - 22:32:21 CEST